New Delhi:
With the agitation by Air India pilots entering the fifth day on
Saturday, the national carrier cancelled 16 flights from New Delhi and
Mumbai even as senior pilots sought the Prime Minister's intervention to
end the impasse.

"16 of our flights originating from Delhi and
Mumbai have been cancelled," an AI spokesperson said.

Supporting the agitation, senior pilots wrote a
letter to the chairman and managing director of AI and Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh, saying the demand of the pilots were genuine and they
should be looked into, sources said.

About 200 pilots owing allegiance to the Indian
Pilots' Guild are on strike since Tuesday protesting rescheduling of
training on Dreamliner and issues related to career progression.

Taking a tough stand, the Air India management had
on Friday sacked 25 pilots. With this, the total number of pilots whose
services have been terminated has gone up to 71.

AI has also written to the Directorate General of
Civil Aviation (DGCA) asking it to cancel the licenses of 11 office
bearers of the IPG whose services have been terminated.

The IPG has said that they are ready for talks and
have sought time for a meeting with civil aviation minister Ajit Singh.

The minister has asked the pilots to return to work
and assured them that their demands will be heard. — PTI

Cong
reacts to Mamata's claim, says UPA-II will
complete its full term

NEW DELHI: Ruling out a mid-term poll, the Congress
on Saturday reacted to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's
claim that the Lok Sabha polls would be advanced, and said the United
Progressive Alliance (UPA)-II will complete its full term.

"I have not gone through the statement given
by Banerjee, but one thing is clear the UPA -II will complete its term
and elections will be held on the scheduled time. There is no question
of any mid-term poll; Dr Manmohan Singhji-led government will complete
its full term. I can specifically say that the election would be held as
per schedule," said Congress spokesperson Rashid Alvi.

Alvi's reaction came as Banerjee, addressing party
workers on Friday in Kolkata, claimed that she has got information that
a certain political party held an internal meeting in Delhi on advancing
the Lok Sabha polls to 2013.

Trinamool Congress president and West Bengal Chief
Minister Mamata Banerjee asked her party workers to be ready for the
poll.

"I have got the information that such a
meeting was held in Delhi. I won't say now which party convened that
meeting. They want to hold the Lok Sabha polls by 2013," she said.

"Any day, we can face the election. So, we
must be ready to face it. And we must not do anything that the people
misunderstand me," Banerjee said.